PT TOMORROW: AL WEST—The 3B crowd in TEX

Texas Rangers

Suddenly the 3B / utility spots look crowded in TEX going forward, and even the 3B-of-the-future may be a bit more uncertain. Andy Ibáñez (3B, TEX) had been a pleasant surprise in the second half of last year and was installed early as a place-holder for the arrival of heralded Josh Jung (3B, TEX), who subsequently went down with labrum surgery. We were skeptical early of Ibáñez, recently dispatched back to Triple-A after showing no offensive improvement vR and even struggling against LHP.

His immediate replacement was Josh Smith (3B, TEX), an advanced prospect in his own right who had posted an .804 OPS through 191 PA early in his first attempt at Triple-A—but whose minor league game log to date reads like a super-utility...

Almost!

You’re just a few clicks away from accessing this feature and hundreds more throughout the year that have a singular goal in mind: Winning your league. Subscribe to BaseballHQ.com here!

Already a subscriber? Sign in here

More From PT Tomorrow

With Bryan Abreu's early season struggles, is there a change to be made at closer in Houston?
Apr 1 2026 3:05am
Jesús Sánchez (pictured) and Nathan Lukes are jockeying for at-bats in left field for Toronto. Plus, more fallout from the first weekend of action in 2026.
Mar 31 2026 3:05am
This week's NL West column answers the lineup questions we posed at the beginning of spring training.
Mar 28 2026 3:05am
Opportunities abound for young interesting players in the National League Central.
Mar 27 2026 3:05am
Following up on our spring training questions, including what happens to the rest of the lineup if Kevin McGonigle makes it onto the Tigers' roster?
Mar 26 2026 3:08am

Tools